K3LTC.com

As a relatively new Ham Radio operator, my shack is currently quite modest. I started out with some inexpensive Chinese handheld radios but soon graduated to a more capable Kenwood mobile. So far I have operated mainly on 2 meters locally as I research (and save for) radios that will allow me to access HF. I hope to use this site as a sort of virtual QSL card and as a reference as I learn more about the hobby.

If you were referred to this site for links to something I mentioned on air - click on the Links button at the top of this page.

My shack so far

Radios

Kenwood TR-7950 - single band 2M radio built in 1984 with optional TU-79 tone board (working) previously used by my parents, and given to them originally by Lenny W2FX

RTL-SDR software defined radio USB dongle and adapter from SMA to SO-239 so I can connect it to the Comet antenna. Works great with gqrx in Ubuntu, didn't need to install any special drivers or anything - once I got gqrx installed the rest was just plug and play.

The Baofeng BF-F8HP radio is a lot better built than I expected, it feels weighty in the hand and so far has been performing well.

Baofeng USB Cable has one end with the standard Kenwood speaker mic 3.5mm and 2.5mm plugs and the other end with a USB A-style connector.

Nagoya NA-771 Antenna - not sure how much difference this actually made to the performance of the Baofeng as I replaced the rubber duck it came with immediately and never used it at all.

A Kenwood KMC-45D speaker mic has replaced the speaker mic that came with the Baofeng as of Sep, 2018. note: I ended up using an Xacto blade to shave off a tiny bit of plastic so the connector would seat properly in the radio - it was easier than modifying the radio's receptacle.

Baofeng UV-5R - just because it was $25 and what good is one handheld?

Radio Shack PRO-97 scanner - this is an older scanner and local police have rebanded so I can no longer use Motorola talk group IDs to trunk track which makes listening to emergency band a bit chaotic but the (new) FM frequencies they use can still be received and it does a great job of quickly scanning the 2m and 70cm bands for Fire and Aircraft. I have one bank programmed with the same Amateur channels as in the Baofeng so I can reference by channel number easier.

Antennas

Comet CP-5M adjustable lip mount - note: I ran a 14AWG solid copper lead between the adjustment bolt nuts of the two halves because I couldn't see how the antenna would actually make contact with ground (the trunk lid) since the two halves are separated by a piece of plastic.

Computer

Gqrx SDR software (free) - was super easy to get running under Ubuntu and turns the RTL-SDR into a useful receiver (it doesn't transmit). This makes discovering active channels much easier and I like that I can "bookmark" frequencies and get back to them later with just a click of the mouse.

I'm using a Google spreadsheet to keep track of what I hear on the various channels I have programmed (I exported the list from Chirp and uploaded it to the spreadsheet), then I have another tab in that spreadsheet where I am keeping a list of the contacts I make. Even more tabs are used as calculators for antenna length and programming notes for the radios. I know there are programs designed specifically for keeping track of QSOs but this spreadsheet is easily available on all my devices (smartphone, chromebook, laptop, desktop, etc.)